Safety guard attachments for ladders



June 30, 1964 w. EWALD 3,139,154

SAFETY GUARD ATTACHMENTS FOR LADDERS Filed Dec. 14, 1962 INVENTOR.MLL/A/v Ek/ALD United States Patent C) 3,139,154 SAFETY GUARDATTACHMENTS FOR LADDERS William Ewald, 545 West End Ave, New York 24,N.Y. Filed Dec. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 244,781 7 Claims. (CL 182-196) Thisinvention relates to safety attachments for ladders.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means defining asafety guard construction for ladders to facilitate the performance ofwork by a person standing on either of the two top steps of a ladder.

It is another object of the present invention to provide safety guardsas aforesaid which are adjustable both widthwise and lengthwise of theladder to enable their use at different elevations on the ladder.

A related object of the present invention is the provision of suchsafety guard structures which are adapted for use with ladders ofdifferent constructions.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide safety guardsof this type which are automatically retained in any adjusted positionwithout the provision of special locking means therefor, and which canbe ad justed by the user without descending from the ladder.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of such safetyguards which are equipped with a variablelength safety belt toaccommodate persons of different girths.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of laddersafety guards as aforesaid which are equipped with means for removablyattaching thereto work trays or receptacles for holding tools or workingmaterials.

It is yet another object of the present invention to pro vide laddersafety guards which may be produced at relatively low cost asattachments for all types of ladders.

The foregoing and other objects and characteristics of preferredembodiments of the present invention, as well as the advantages accruingfrom its use, will be more fully understood from the following detaileddescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a safety guardattachment according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the structure shown in FIGS. 1and 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken along the line4-4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional View, similar to FIG. 4, of a modified form of apart of the safety guard according to the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a ladder safety guardaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now first to FIGS. 1 to 4, a ladder safety guard 10 accordingto one embodiment of the present invention is there shown as associatedwith a step ladder 11. The ladder illustrated comprises a pair of frontlegs 12 and a pair of rear legs 13, the front legs being rigidly securedwith the aid of angle brackets 12a and 12b to the underside of ahorizontal platform or top step 14. The rear legs 13 are pivotallyconnected to the rearwardmost sections of the angle brackets 12b and arealso linked with the front legs at a lower elevation by suitable foldingbraces (not shown). For purposes of stability, the front legs 12 of theladder diverge from one another slightly in a downward direction fromthe platform or top step 14. Several lower steps 15 (only the uppermostone 3,139,154 Patented June 30, 1964 of which is shown) are secured tothe legs 12 by means of angle brackets 15a.

The safety guard 10 comprises a variable-length horizontal cross member16 connected at its opposite ends to a pair of downwardly diverging sidemembers 17 and 18. The cross member 16 is constructed of two parts 19and 20 which are mated to one another by a tongue and groovearrangement. As clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the body of the part 19at the middle region of the cross member 16 is horizontally recessed todefine a frontwardly open channel 19a, while the body of the part 20 atthe middle region of the cross member 16 is reduced in width andthickness to define a flat extension or tongue 20a which is slidablyreceived in the channel 19a. The channeled part 19 of the cross memberis provided with three sets of vertically aligned openings 2121, spacedfrom each other along the channel, and the tongued part 20 of the crossmember is provided with one opening 22 adjacent the free end of thetongue 20a. These openings are appropriately shaped so that when theopening 22 is in axial alignment with any one set of the openings 21-41,a locking pin or bolt 23 may be inserted therethrough to fix the tongue20a in position within the channel 19a.

The parts 19 and 20 of the cross member 16 further comprise at theirrespective remote ends a pair of frontwardly extending side rails 24 and25 the inside surfaces 24:: and 25a of which are curved and mergesmoothly into the front edges of the channel 19a and tongue 20a. Thewidth of the tongue is preferably such that it fills the entire channeland that the front edge of the tongue is flush with the front edge ofthe channel. Thus, the space between the side rails is effectivelycontoured and without sharp corners or projecting surfaces for maximumcomfort of any person using the ladder and leaning against the crossmember.

As an additional safety factor which might be desired by ladder users,the present invention contemplates the provision of a safety strap inthe form of a flexible belt or chain 26 one end of which is removablyconnected to a hook or knob 27 secured to the side rail 24 of the crossmember 16. The side rail 25 is likewise provided with a hook or knob 28to which the other end portion of the belt is removably connected. Thelocations of attachment of the belt or chain to either or both of thehooks 27 and 28 may be selected at random to accommodate persons ofdifferent girths. Especially where the safety strap is a chain, the samemay be covered over the major portion of its length by a flexible sleeveor tube 29 (FIG. 3) of rubber or heavy fabric.

The side members 17 and 18 of the safety guard 10 are fixedly secured,in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, to therespective cross member side rails 24 and 25, for example by means ofrespective externally threaded extensions 30 (only one is shown in FIG.I) screwed into corresponding internally threaded bores provided in theundersides of the side rails 24 and 25. The side members 17 and 18extend slidably through a pair of tubular bushings or sleeves 31 and 32which constrain them to move in respective paths diverging relative toone another in a downward direction. The sleeves 31 and 32 are providedadjacent their upper ends with respective transverse webs or flanges 33and 34 and adjacent their lower ends With respective lateral webs orflanges 35 and 36 secured by screws or bolts 35a and 36a to slottedflanges 37a and 38a of a pair of angle brackets 37 and 38. The entiregroup of elements 16 to 38 thus constitute an extensible guard railwhich may be considered a composite attachment for the ladder 11 and, aswill be apparent from the following, may be associated and sold with theladder by the manufacturer thereof or which may be purchased by aprospective user as a separate accessory for a ladder already owned byhim.

Inassembling the safety guard rail with a ladder, it will be clear thatthe flanges 33 and 34 of the sleeves or bushings 31 and 32 are firstsecured to the top step 14 of the ladder by means of screws or bolts 33aand 34a. Thereafter the angle brackets 37 and 33 are secured by screwsor bolts (not shown) to the ladder legs 12. The provision of the slotsin the flanges 37a and 38a of these brackets thus ensures that theattachment can be adapted to any ladder regardless of the angularorientation of the legs 12 thereof. Thereafter, the side members 17 and18 are fitted individually into the sleeves or bushings 31 and 32, theparts 19 and 2d of the cross member 16 at this stage not being fittedinto or locked to one another. Finally, the tongue 2tla is fitted intothe channel 1% and the pin 23 inserted into a bore formed by asuperposed set of openings 212221'. initially, or whenever the ladder isnot in use, this bore is that one which is defined by the openings 2121'at the righthand side of the cross member 16 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3.The cross member at such time is in its most extended state and isdisposed directly atop the platform 14, while the side members 17 and 18extend along the front legs 12 of the ladder 11. The entire attachment16 thus is closly conformed to the outline of the ladder, permitting thesame to be stored together with the attachment without any extra spacebeing required. 7

In use, when a person desires to perform work while standing on the topstep 14 of the ladder, the safety guard 19 is raised to its mostelevated position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Preparatory to the raisingoperation, the pin 23 is removed from the cross member so that thetongue can be telescopically moved into and through the channel untilthe shoulder 25b at the juncture of the tongue 211a and the side rail 25abuts against the end of the channeled part 19 of the cross member. Inthis position, the opening 22 in the tongue is in axial alignment withthe set of openings 2121 at the left-hand end of the channel part (asseen in FIGS. 1 and 3). The pin 23 is now inserted into the so-formedbore to lock the parts of the cross member to one another. It will bereadily understood that once this has been done, the safety guard cannotbe moved up or down even though the side members 17 and 18 are notpositively locked to the respective sleeves or bushings 31 and 32. Thearrangement is such that the cross member when so adjusted isessentially waist-high relative to the user.

The present invention contemplates the provision of means for supportingwithin easy reach of the user of the ladder any equipment, tools orworking materials which he may require. To this end, there are securedin any suitable manner to the outer rear surface of the cross memberpart 19 a pair of channel brackets 39 and 40 provided with openingsadapted to receive locking pins or bolts 41 and 42. The spaces betweenthe upper and lower lugs or cars of the brackets 39 and 40 are adaptedto accommodate a flange 4-3 of a tray or like receptacle 44, whichflange is also provided with a pair of openings through which the pins41 and 42 can pass when the flange is received in the said spaces forsupporting the tray from the brackets 39 and 48. The tray is so con-'structed, as by being underslung or the like (see FIG. 2), that it willnot interfere with the lowering of the guard to the position in whichthe cross member rests on or near the top step of the ladder.

As an extra safety measure, when the user reaches the top step he maypass the chain or belt 26 behind his back and connect the two oppositeend sections of the chain or belt to the hooks 27 and 28. It is also tobe noted that, to prevent the user from losing his balance on theladder, the angular orientation of the side members 17 and 18 relativeto the vertical is such that a vertical plane passing through the frontedge of the cross member is disposed at least slightly beyond thelocation of the tips of the users toes.

Should it now be desired to perform work standing on the second step '15of the ladder, after the work on the top step is completed, the usermerely extracts the pin 23 from the bore 212221' in which it is'thenreceived and descends one step from the top step of the ladder. Sincethe cross member is unlocked, the side members 17 and 1d slidedownwardly through the bushings 31 and 32 While the cross memberelongates as the tongue 211a slides outwardly through the channel 1%.When the opening 22 is aligned with the middle set of openings 21-21,the

in is inserted into the so-formed bore, a ain lockin the i cross memberin position and length. The latter thus will again automatically remainsecured in its new adjusted elevation, by virtue of the fact that withthe length of the cross member fixed, any linear movement of the sidemembers 17 and 18 through the angularly oriented sleeves 31 and 32 isinhibited. In this position also, the front edge of the cross member 16,i.e. that edge against which the user leans, is again disposedapproximately waisthigh relative to the user and at least slightlybeyond the vertical plane passing through the tips of the users toes. Itwill be noted that the extension in length of the cross member accordingto this embodiment of the invention has no adverse effect on thesmoothness of the said front edge of the cross member since the frontedge of the tongue 20a always coincides with the corresponding edge ofthe channel 19a.

As is readily apparent, the adjustment of the guard rail from itsposition corresponding to the second ladder step to its positioncorresponding to the top step involves precisely the reverse of theforegoing operations. It is emphasized, however, that it is nevernecessary for the user, while effecting either this upward adjustment orthe previously described downward adjustment of the guard rail, todescend from the ladder inasmuch as the contraction or extension of thecross member 16 occurs automatically (once it is unlocked) as the sidemembers 17 and 18 move along their converging or diverging paths, i.e.as the height of the guard rail above the top step is changed.

The cross member in lieu of being constituted by a tongue and grooveconnection may be constructed as shown in. FIG. 5. In accordance withthis embodiment of the present invention, the middle portion of thecross member 16 is composed of a tube 45 and a rod 46 coaxial therewith.Both the tube and the rod are provided with openings similar to theopenings 2121"and 22 in the cross member parts 19 and 20 shown in FIGS.1 to 4 to accommodate the locking pin 23, and the tube 45 carries a pairof tray-supporting brackets 45'. Also the two parts of the cross member16 are provided with respective contoured side rails corresponding tothe side rails 24 and 25 of the cross member 16.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, thesafety guard 10 may be adapted for use with differently constructedladders by articulating the side members to the cross member. This isillustrated in FIG. 6 in relation to a cross member 16, but it would beas applicable to a cross member 16'. As shown in FIG. 6, the crossmember 16 is provided at its opposite ends, i.e. below the side rails 24and 25, with lugs 48 and 49 to which the side members 17 and 18' arepivotally connected by means of lugs 50 and 51 and respective pivot pinsor bolts 52 and 53. It is preferred that the pivot pins extendingthrough the respective sets of lugs 48-51} and 49-51 be associated withfriction wash rs or the like the function of which is to retain the sidemembers in any desired angular orientation relative to the cross member.A construction of this type may be found to be very advantageous wherethe cross member and side members are to be adapted to a pair of sleevesor bushings 31 and 32 which are fixed to the ladder legs 12 without theintermediary of slotted angle-brackets as shown in FIG. 1 and thuscannot be angularly adjusted.

It is to be noted that the safety guard rail is herein described foradjustment to only two operating positions corresponding to the ladderusers standing on either the top step or the next to top step of a givenladder, since in most ordinary ladders by the time the user reaches thethird step from the top the use of the safety guard will no longer berequired. Nevertheless it will be clear to those skilled in the art thatif desired or necessary it is possible, within the purview of thepresent invention, to construct the guard for adjustment to more thantwo operating positions by the provision of more than three sets ofopenings in the cross member, especially to adapt the guard attachmentfor use with ladders of different widths.

In any event, it will be apparent from the foregoing description that asafety guard according to the present invention is composed of a minimumnumber of parts of extremely simple design and requires only the pin 23and the associated openings 212221 or other locking means for lockingthe guard in any adjusted position. The entire attachment can thus bemanufactured at relatively little cost and is extremely easy to install,which makes it highly attractive from economic and utilitarianstandpoints to skilled artisans, e.g. painters, decorators,electricians, carpenters, plumbers, etc. as well as to ordinary persons,e.g. homeowners, and the like, commonly known as do-it-yourself fixers.

It Will further be apparent that the side members 17 and 18 of the guardrail 10 need not be arranged for slidable movement at the exterior sidesof the ladder legs 12. If desired, the bushings or bearings for theguard rail side members may be secured to the inner sides of the ladderlegs, in which case it would be merely necessary to provide suitableclearance openings in the steps 14 and 15 to accommodate the said sidemembers. Other variations in the disclosed structure, for example thehinging of the tray 44 to the cross member 16 in lieu of the illustratedslot and pin connections, will readily suggest themselves to thoseskilled in the art.

Although there have been described herein several safety guardconstructions according to preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, it is to be understood that this description is intended forpurposes of illustration only and that the structures and structuralrelationships disclosed are susceptible to various changes none of whichinvolves any departure from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention as defined by the hereto appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In combination with a ladder having step-supporting legs; a safetyguard rail comprising a variable length cross member adapted to bepositioned above the top step of said ladder, a pair of downwardlydepending side members connected at their uppermost ends to the opposedend sections of said cross member, means carried by said ladder forconstraining said side members to sliding movement in respective pathsdiverging relative to one another downwardly with respect to said topstep of said ladder, and means for locking said cross member againstchange in length at a plurality of adjusted lengths of said cross membercorresponding, respectively, to the location of the same at anessentially waist-high elevation above the planes of at least the twotop steps of said ladder, the locking of said cross member preventingany up or down movements of said guard rail relative to said ladder.

2. The combination of claim 1, further comprising receptacle meanscarried by said cross member for supporting equipment and workingmaterials for the user of the ladder.

3. The combination of claim 1, said cross member comprising a pluralityof telescopically movable parts one of which defines a passagewayslidably receiving the other.

4. The combination of claim 3, said one part being shaped to define anelongated channel, and said other part being shaped as an elongatedtongue.

5. The combination of claim 3, said one part being a hollow tube, andsaid other part being an elongated rod.

6. The combination of claim 3, further comprising pivot meansinterconnecting said uppermost ends of said side members and saidopposed end sections of said cross member to adapt said side members formovement in paths of differing degrees of relative divergence.

7. In combination with a ladder having step-supporting legs; a safetyguard rail comprising a variable length cross member adapted to bepositioned above the top step of said ladder, a pair of downwardlydepending side members connected at their uppermost ends to the opposedend sections of said cross member and diverging relative to one anotherdownwardly from said cross member, means carried by said ladder forconstraining said side members to sliding movement in respective pathsdiverging relative to one another downwardly with respect to said topstep of said ladder, said cross member comprising a pair oftelescopically movable male and female elements, and means forreleasably locking said elements of said cross member to each other ateach of a plurality of predetermined lengths of said cross member,whereby upon such locking of said cross member elements at any selectedelevation above said top step of said ladder, no change in the length ofsaid cross member can occur and the guard rail is automatically securedin position against up or down movement from such selected elevation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,916,208 Diou July 4, 1933 1,953,390 Bosch Apr. 3, 1934 2,245,661Fieroh June 17, 1941 2,388,892 Wilson Nov. 13, 1945 2,614,744 HedglonOct. 21, 1952 2,957,542 Rizzuto Oct. 25, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 137,889Great Britain Jan. 29, 1920 490,357 Italy Feb. 8, 1954

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A LADDER HAVING STEP-SUPPORTING LEGS; A SAFETYGUARD RAIL COMPRISING A VARIABLE LENGTH CROSS MEMBER ADAPTED TO BEPOSITIONED ABOVE THE TOP STEP OF SAID LADDER, A PAIR OF DOWNWARDLYDEPENDING SIDE MEMBERS CONNECTED AT THEIR UPPERMOST ENDS TO THE OPPOSEDEND SECTIONS OF SAID CROSS MEMBER, MEANS CARRIED BY SAID LADDER FORCONSTRAINING SAID SIDE MEMBERS TO SLIDING MOVEMENT IN RESPECTIVE PATHSDIVERGING RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER DOWNWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID TOPSTEP OF SAID LADDER, AND MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID CROSS MEMBER AGAINSTCHANGE IN LENGTH AT A PLURALITY OF ADJUSTED LENGTHS OF SAID CROSS MEMBERCORRESPONDING, RESPECTIVELY, TO THE LOCATION OF THE SAME AT ANESSENTIALLY WAIST-HIGH ELEVATION ABOVE THE PLANES OF AT LEAST THE TWOTOP STEPS OF SAID